Review: Arizona Broadway Theatre Presents ELF THE MUSICAL

Sparklejollytwinklejingley! There you have it! The essential and best way to describe Arizona Broadway Theatre's production of ELF ~ whimsical, merry, and upbeat!

Between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, Phoenix regional theatre is saturated with a holly-jolly lot of Christmas-themed offerings that range from the sentimental to the silly. From Hale Centre Theatre's A CHRISTMAS CAROL and Don Bluth Front Row Theatre's IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE to Arizona Theatre Company's MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY and Childsplay's RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL.

And then, there's ELF, the zany musical reminder that magic and wonderment...the Christmas Spirit and a belief in Santa Claus...are indispensable. I don't recall the last time a show brought out the kid in me, but for duration of this production, the kid in me was all smiles.

Thanks to Kurtis Overby's intelligent stagecraft and high-octane choreography, ELF delivers on all cylinders.

And, it's Tyler Pirrung's performance as Buddy that really revs the show into high gear. It is no exaggeration to report that Pirrung is terrific. He channels Buddy's cluelessness and awkward innocence with gleeful panache. He is charming, lithe, and huggable, with a voice that has range and oomph.

Sure, the story line is goofy...but goofy can be good for the soul...triggering those hormones that make us feel happy. And this show teems with smile-inducing vibes.

For those requiring a recap of the story line (adapted by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin with the music and lyrics of Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin), here you go...briefly:

Once upon a Christmas, baby Buddy crawls into Santa's bag and is unknowingly borne off to the North Pole. Despite his unusual size and incompetence, his affability and eagerness to please are his tickets into the toy-making workforce of elves. One day, by chance, he learns that he's actually a human being and that he has a real family in the Big Apple. Off he relocates to NYC, clad in his elfin greens, and, finds his father. In doing so, he stirs up a snowstorm of turmoil.

Despite Dad's denial and apprehension about Buddy's claims that he's his son, Walter Hobbs (Jamie Michael Parnell) will of course eventually capitulate. Until then, Hobbs, a Type A exec at a publishing firm must manage the pressure from higher-ups, most notably the gruff Mr. Greenway (Rob Watson), to produce "a book" that sells...or else.

Walter's wife Emily and son Michael (Carolyn McPhee and William Richardson) aren't as resistant. In an impressive debut, Richardson joins with McPhee to deliver delightful portrayals of skeptics who ultimately reaffirm the holiday spirit in a bouncy rendition of There is a Santa Claus.

In the meanwhile, Buddy discovers love at Macy's in the form of Jovie, an employee at SantaLand, played with relish and a commanding voice by Madison Cichon, who learns soon enough to Never Fall in Love With an Elf.

Of course ~ long story short ~ along the way, faith in Santa is reaffirmed, love conquers all, and everybody lives happily ever after.

There are two moments in the musical that especially shine. The opening number of Act II, Nobody Cares About Santa, is a jazzy lament by a crew of disgruntled unemployed department store Santas. In The Story of Buddy, the ensemble gathers for a snappy narrative of Buddy's journey.

One of the real gems of the show is Renée Kathleen Koher as Deb, Walter's attentive assistant and gatekeeper. In Just Like Him, Koher reveals once again the depth and range of her artistry as a performing artist, in this case with the addition of a comic sensibility that is downright hilarious. Coming off her direction of ABT's URINETOWN, she is proving to be an authentic triple threat.

All told, ABT's ELF offers an uplifting and fun time at the theatre. It is so light-hearted, amusing, and entertaining that one easily overlooks the 135-minute (including intermission) run time.

ELF The Musical runs through December 29th on the Mainstage at Arizona Broadway Theatre in Peoria AZ.

Poster credit to ABT

Arizona Broadway Theatre ~ 7701 W. Paradise Lane, Peoria, AZ ~ https://azbroadway.org/ ~ 623-776-8400

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